Hoteliers in East Midnapore’s Digha and Mandarmani have a reason to smile after almost six months as tourists are back in decent numbers at the sea resorts to celebrate Independence Day.

The outbreak of Covid-19 and subsequent lockdown had taken their toll on the hospitality industry in the region. Hoteliers in East Midnapore feel Independence Day will kick off the flow of tourists to the region and the humble increase in footfall this weekend is giving them hope after a long lull.

“About half of our hotels have stayed open since July in spite of having occupancy between 10 per cent and 20 per cent. That jumped to about 35 per cent this weekend. So, we are quite hopeful even though it’s a low number,” said a hotelier in Mandarmani. “We hope I-Day will set the stage for the rebound of tourist industry here. The virus is still a threat, but people seem to be getting used to living with it.”

In Digha, hoteliers say almost all hotels that were open had received 50 per cent bookings for this weekend. In normal times, Independence Day usually contributes to a temporary 100 per cent hike in bookings on average.

At the 108-key Sea Hawk hotel, 35 per cent rooms have been booked from Friday through Sunday. “Following the July 1 reopening, most hotels saw an unimpressive response. That is understandable because most tourists rely on trains to get here. But we are seeing people driving in because even they need a break from the virus,” said assistant manager of the hotel Debkumar Jana.

In Mandarmani, where private vehicles are the mode of transport for most guests even in normal times, the 85-key hotel Sonar Bangla received 50 per cent bookings this weekend. “We are operating according to Covid protocol and are almost at full capacity. We hear smaller hotels are also receiving bookings, which is encouraging to hear. We desperately need it,” said manager Sirsendu Das.

In Digha, hoteliers’ association joint secretary Dipra Das Chakraborty admitted that Digha did not have the advantage of private transport that a larger share of Mandarmani visitors had, but agreed “30 per cent occupancy was a blessing in such times”.

“This is encouraging for our region’s economy and extremely vital,” said Digha-Sankarpur development authority vice-chairman Akhil Giri.